Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A sexy little print just got released by Rafa a few days ago. It's 20" x 24" - in my definition - a perfect print. It's also released as an edition of only 24. Unfortunately it's a bit on the steep side of $99 per print. Personally, I think prints shouldn't go past $25, but cool nonetheless.

With his latest opening at Honor Fraser, "The Long Way Home," KAWS officially solidifies his position as a contemporary genius of his time. And you all thought Kanye was just talkin' out of his ass when he was applauding this guy years back. Okay, okay - Kanye's still a moron, but you gotta admit this stuff is pretty frickin' epic.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Apparently, starting midnight tonight until 11:59PM tomorrow night (in other words, the entire day tomorrow, Tuesday), Jack In The Box is giving away 2 free tacos in an attempt to raise funds for Jack's cause.

Though I have successfully banned every single fast food item out there, I've yet to curb my addiction to Jack's tacos. So, in a way, this promotion will probably just send me into greater withdrawal when I try to stop eating them. Anyway, enough about me. Here's a printable image of 8 coupons on a page to save you some paper.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

I think I found the perfect way to display my vintage cameras, as suggested by my fellow blogger Sonia at Unplggd. Though, the rest are just a few ideas I'd like to further play with in the future as a fun little DIY project...

Friday, February 20, 2009

You should never glorify war, but there's just something mindblowing about having graphics so real that it makes you believe you're actually experiencing the actual event itself. With sound work this good (just listen to engines and gunfire), it's hard to not be amazed by this little action gem set to be released later this year on PC.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

An argument ensued in the forums over an article written by the Examiner expressing the need to bear arms and the injustice of jailing a person attempting to protect his family from a robber breaking into his house with a firearm. I found the arguments both insightful and entertaining - for both the duality of man always becomes apparent when it comes to matters such as life and death.

It all started by a simple opinion from a would-be defender of human life:

The problem with guns is that while they may prevent crime, they quickly turn non-lethal crimes into potentially lethal outcomes. The punk who just broke into your house to steal for drug money does not deserve to die, nor does the guy who uses a gun to hold up a liquor store, or the guy who mugs you on the street. They all deserve punishment, but death is not an appropriate outcome. Universal gun possession makes it so that all crime now faces a real threat of death. While this may lower the likelihood of some crimes, it is merely traded off for the potential of worse outcomes that - importantly - will probably not be statistically codified itself as crime.

We have great examples of low-crime countries that have high gun ownership, mid-gun ownership, and 0 gun ownership. Maybe it is not about the guns, it is about the people - and then the question becomes, are American's the right sort of people to have unfettered access to guns.

Immediately, a fiery backlash from the Digg community ensued:

"The punk who just broke into your house to steal for drug money does not deserve to die,"

Yes he does. Can you tell the difference between someone breaking into your house to rape you or rob you...you don't know until after the fact.

"nor does the guy who uses a gun to hold up a liquor store, or the guy who mugs you on the street."

Yes, they do. They initiated an act of violence and in the liquor store case, he was ready to kill you if need be.

Followed by an emotional stance about life, ethics, and an equation regarding how stuff literally equates to your life:

"Using deadly force in protection of property is never justified legally"

ITS ALWAYS justified.

this boggles my mind when people say its JUST possessions

Possessions are my LIFE. Literally and FACTUALLY.

My first car cost me $4500 plus registration inspection and insurance. about $5500 for that first year.

Its not so much a possession as it is 34 WEEKS OF MY VERY LIFE. (this was back when I was 19)

If you steal my car your not stealing my car.

your LITERALLY AND FACTUALLY STEALING 34 WEEKS OF MY VERY LIFE that I spent to PAY for that god damned car.

Thats around 8 MONTHS OF MY LIFE. Of My Blood and SWEAT working my ASS OF just so I could have that god damned car.

HOW DARE you belittle 34 weeks of my LIFE.

I am sorry but MY LIFE means something to me. I will DEFEND MY LIFE with deadly force if need be.

You say your life is not worth that car.

I say your analogy is flawed.

I say my car is worth more than that crooks life.

NOW I will not go out of my way to kill someone. I HOPE I won't hesitate if the need arises. I HOPE the need will never arise.

But I damned well know I WILL protect my "possessions" with any and all needed force if I am compelled to.

Theft is right up there with MURDER no where near as bad mind you but ITS UP THERE.

you steal my car you MURDERED 34 weeks of my life.

POOF GONE. those 34 weeks meant NOTHING they are meaningless now. So are the next 34 weeks as I work my ass off to buy another one.

I am INSULTED that my LIFE means so little to you that you think I should not be able to DEFEND IT.

that you think the life of a CRIMINAL is worth more than a portion of MY LIFE.

How DARE YOU.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Ginataan means mixing a variety of ingredients such as vegetables, seafood, or fruits are simmered in coconut milk. It can be sweet or savory, but I like it warm and hearty. Here's an nice easy little recipe to make these dirty little recession days pass by a bit better.

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, julienned

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 Japanese eggplants (or any varietal, about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 tablespoons fermented shrimp or crab paste

12 ounces canned or freshly squeezed coconut milk

hot chiles, to taste (optional)

In a heavy saucepan, saute the garlic, ginger, and onions in the vegetable oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and green beans and cook for 2 minutes while stirring frequently.

Stir in the shrimp paste, coconut milk, and hot chiles (if using). Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with either more shrimp paste or salt if necessary. Serve with hot rice and enjoy!

A member at Gametrailers forums had only 3 dollars in his store account. He went and bought the COD4 map pack and he was shocked to see that he could buy a map pack that is 7 dollars. He then thought that they where all free and continued downloading almost everything in the store, only to realize a few hours later that the store saves your account info and takes out money without having to add funds. I'd hate to be that kid right now.

ok..i have about 3 dollars on my account and i tried to download the COD4 maps and it worked!!! and i started to download almost everything on the PSN!!!! OMG!!!

While WoW seems to be increasingly popular over the past few months, I can't help but to criticize anyone who actually continues to dish out $15 a month to play this game. Hear me out. This isn't coming from someone who hasn't actually given the game a go - I recently completed my monthly trial in hopes of acquiring some kind of gaming addiction, but really found no reason to go back to it.

After completing a number of quests, getting my Paladin to Level 20, and experiencing my first slaughterfest on a PvP server, there was little left in terms of replayability and reasoning behind paying another $15 to play another month. That's not to say it wasn't fun during those few weeks, but despite my love for Final Fantasy and other RPG games, my late entry into the franchise made me notice the dated graphics, tedious gameplay, and product design purposely catered to young angsty teens or bored 25-30 year olds with nothing better to do.

So it finally came down to a question of priorities - if you really wanted to finish up "X" quest to get a fancy item and show off to a couple of strangers, or actually go out and meet some real people/obtain a real job of sorts. In other words, it's a game developer medium that has taken flight due to mainly hype and user-base, not content itself. And somehow, in this indiscernible mess of PvPing, spells, and guild wars, you have Blizzard kickin' back and enjoying billions of subscription dollars rolling in.

Similarly to the Microsoft's Live subscription service, they're only charging because they can. It's unbelievable how fast people are quick to open their wallets without questioning where their money is going. Frankly, the subscription effect is mainly due to monopolization built on effective advertising and consumer ignorance. Companies should be paying the customer to use their service, not the other way around.

Just take a close look at Valve's approach to all their new downloadable content; despite knowing that their customers will likely pay for their quality work, they continue to release updates free of charge, adding even more value to games that have already received high praise from the gaming community.

In the end, it's still people's money and $15 realistically equates to nothing more than a few good meals at a burger joint and a Starbucks coffee. However, the act of charging players monthly to use a service that's been already established (with a few doses of new content thrown in time to time), requiring the same resources originally used to maintain the original game itself, is completely illogical and a slap in the face to gamers on a dime.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Not sure if it's a smoke plume or a bag of colorful sheets, but James Roper's work has gotta be some of the best contemporary pieces I have ever seen in my life. All acrylic, mind you. And we know how everyone hates working with acrylic.

Friday, February 13, 2009

I wrote up an extra-long extensive article on how to get it all working on Unplggd. The basic idea is to get WDS up and running, match it up to your other router (repeaters) and to make sure you get a DNS IP assigned. After that, you should be smooth sailing.

Like City of God, Gomorra attempts to bring adolescents into the corrupted city mix through prose and grandiloquence. Building five seemingly disconnected stories, we ultimately find out that all the stories are linked and effected by crime syndicate that controlled the local region, the Camorras. Over time, however, the film became harder and harder to digest (thanks to poor camera work and excess dialogue) and slowly became just as intimidating as the organization it hoped to expose. You can pass on this one. 6.9/10.

Marvel at this heart-attack inducing work of the cholesterol gods. This Is Why You're Fat renews this masochistic eating behavior with their new blog showcasing the unhealthiest (and quite possibly the tastiest) lookin' food on the planet. And you thought deep fried Twinkies were bad?

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Surely, it's not the most original idea, but it'll infuse alcholism with fun, something your parents always warned you about as a child. Now let's get started. You will need the following:

One 1.75 liter bottle of vodka (I used Stoli - you don’t need the most expensive vodka, but do avoid the cheap ones)

Five 8.5 ounce flasks or bottles

One 1 pound bag of Skittles

Five empty plastic water bottles

A funnel

Bowls for separating the Skittles into flavors

A measuring cup (not pictured)

Coffee filters or paper towels

Start by simply separating the Skittles into flavors. Fill your water bottles with 6 ounces of vodka each, then add each of the separated Skittles into their corresponding "infusion" bottle. Give each bottle a good shake - the more, the better.

Once all the Skittles all dissolved, you'll get precipitate floating around. Get rid of it by using a measuring cup lined with a coffee filter. Strain out the muck, pour the liquid into a flask or bottle, then chill the bottles for several hours before serving. The resulting concoction should be a hangover-inducing, potent, yet mildly sweet tasting, cocktail for pedobears.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

While it may be just a simple story of a mother searching for her lost son, it's Clint Eastwood - and if we all know Clint, it's his brilliance in story execution. Like Letters From Iwo Jima, it's filled with stellar performances from all of the cast, great cinematography, and a moving way of doing things that leave audiences in tears of joy and sadness. Definitely worth watching if you're looking for a timely piece thats sure to stir up some strong emotions. 8.3/10.

I wish I could say, "Yeah, my apartment is filled with a bunch of stuff I designed throughout my life." Kinda like Ryan. He's doin' it old English style - controlling the chaos and makin' it beautiful.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses - and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Nothing like a small twist to bring some life into that run-the-mill stir-fry formula. Here's one that worked tonight for me.

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 cup matchstick-size strips carrots (about 3 medium)

1 cup matchstick-size strips celery (about 3 long stalks)

1 cup of finely chopped red apples

1/4 cup of cashews

1/2 tablespoon Hoison sauce

1/2 tablespoon Worchester sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry Sherry

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Heat wok over high heat until drop of water added to wok evaporates on contact. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and swirl, then add apples, celery, and carrots. After a few minutes, add in the Worchester and Hoison mixture. Let it cook covered for about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining Cashews, Shaoxing cooking wine, sugar, salt, and white pepper to the wok. Stir-fry to blend for about another 5 minutes. When apples look like they've about had it (nice and soft), remove the pan, stir in sesame oil, and serve.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Nothing like a warm little space to keep the cold out in the harsh little metropolis of San Francisco. Unfortunately, some may find the $5 million price tag to be just a bit overpriced for a single family home...

Okay. I'm a slob. I don't make my bed in the morning. That makes this stowaway bed solution the perfect space saving, aesthetically pleasing solution to go into my book of things to include into my dream home. So when I'm not sleeping, I could do stuff like... backspins on the concrete bedroom floor.

Man, what a letdown. I have never seen so much half-assed writing in my life. Add that to a batch of the most useless characters ever injected into a series and you end up with a series that's highly unlikely to see another season. Word to the wise - stop at Season 2 if you know what's good for you. 6.9/10.

From his college days printing "Andre the Giant has a Posse" stickers from his dorm room to the Supply and Demand show going on now, Shepard Fairy is now probably one of the most famous iconic names in households today. And given how much he's accomplished in such a short amount of time, you gotta give him props for it. My man, Shep. Keep up the good work.

Friday, February 06, 2009

If there's one thing great about Ubuntu Linux, it's the fact that it's free and encouraged to stay that way. There's also their whole approach to Linux, supposedly "dumbing it down" with a friendlier user-interface for those who have never touched the OS ever in their life.

After holding off for so long, I decided to take a sip of the soda just to see how it made me feel deep down inside.

I found the user-interface indeed impressive, with quick streamlined installation, a sleek Gnome skin to match everything, and the majority of my drivers already pre-installed. I had to hunt a bit for my Soundblaster Live! drivers, but after that I was up and running with my internet like it was nobody's business.

In a nutshell, that's probably the best thing about it. Internet access made easy. You basically need an administrative password to change anything that would effect the end-user so in a sense, it keeps anybody who doesn't know what they're doing from ever tainting the OS with useless crapware. It's a beautiful approach to user stupidity, really.

However, as far as intuitiveness, Ubuntu fails on all fronts. Not only does the system make it nearly impossible for normal user to figure out how to install a simple program, but icon placement, categorical organization, and folder handling are dreadful, if not the worse I have ever seen in a package meant for mainstream users.

That said, it wasn't all bad. I could easily browse the internet, write a paper, and talk on AIM with no hiccups at all. Unfortunately, with abominable user-interface and high learning curve for simple things such as installation, it's hard to recommend this to anyone looking for a "fun" experience. It's free, but sometimes it's free for a good reason. 7.6/10.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

You can probably hate Vista in every imaginable way, but I simply can't bare to go back to XP. Now, if I could only figure out how to get media streaming to work without having to install a million codecs...

Powell and Bonnell Design from Toronto like to do it modern style with their condo living room designs. You know what that means - white walls, clean lines, and littered decor for those looking for something bright to fixate their eyes on.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

According to the Inquirer, which reports news twice as good as say... CNN, when teenage girls talk about their problems online, they're more likely to get even more depressed when they realize their friends have absolutely no helpful input for them. Of course, boys don't have this same issue simply because World of Warcraft is the cure for everything.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

It's already a juggling act just trying to keep an audience interested with 2-3 stories in a single movie, but 18 shorts by completely different directors and actors? That's something. Paris, I Love You, manages to pull off this amazing feat, bringing together nearly all the languages of love, all while celebrating the great city of Paris. As for the stories themselves, there are a few misses, especially the Chinatown one which I found completely tasteless and pointless, but fortunately the movie pulls through and ends on a strong note, leaving you to only wonder what type of complex soup your own city would present if given the chance. 8.0/10.

Monday, February 02, 2009

While most of us aren't truly comfortable listening to Coeur de Pirate on the dancefloor, it's a whole lot better than hearing another D.A.N.C.E. remix for the xth time. Now disco, with le French influence to the max.

That's some insane kaiju-influenced pixel party you got going on there. Now if the price wasn't so ridiculous, maybe I'd jump on one of them. $60 during a recession? Artists aren't the only ones struggling now, holmes.

I went around to my local furniture thrift store and was surprised to find so many chairs being tossed away into dark corners, placed in the rainy cold, and being completely ignored by the men who sell them off, used and abused, for ludicrous prices. It made me sick. So much that I've taken it upon myself to become a chairitarian - a person promoting chair welfare and social reform. And hopefully one day, I won't have to experience the carnage I had to witness this weekend ever again.